Download FullCircle Calibration

FullCircle
Calibration
TM
A Closed-Loop Film Recorder
Calibration System
User Guide
User Guide Version 1.17, January 2000
Part number: 191-054
Copyright  1995, Lasergraphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Lasergraphics
20 Ada
Irvine, California 92618
(949) 753-8282
Technical Support Department (949) 753-8292
Monday through Friday
7:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M., Pacific Time
www.lasergraphics.com
24 hours everyday.
FullCircle Calibration, LFR, LFR PLUS, Personal LFR, PersonalLFR
PLUS, LFR-X, LFR Mark II, LFR Mark II - Digital Photography Model,
LFR Mark III, LFR Mark III - Digital Photography Model, LFR Mark V Digital Photography Model, LFR Mark VI - Digital Photography Model,
RascolPort, WinRascol and MacRascol are trademarks of Lasergraphics, Inc.
and Rascol is a registered trademark of Lasergraphics, Inc. Windows is a
trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Ektachrome and Kodacolor are
registered trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company. All other brand names
and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.
ii - FullCircle Calibration
FullCircle Calibration - iii
Quick Reference
This manual covers the operation of the FullCircle Calibration program
and describes in detail the steps necessary to calibrate your imaging
environment to produce perfectly matched prints from scanned images.
The FullCircle Calibration Process is designed to provide you with a
method to fully calibrate your imaging environment and control the
quality of your photographic paper images. The system encompasses the
whole imaging process, from image input via your scanner, to printing the
image on your Lasergraphics film recorder, to print processing at your
photographic lab.
Use the table below to locate information on specific topics and
procedures.
Installation
PC Compatible
Macintosh
p. 20
p. 22
Scanning
Selecting acceptable scanner settings
What to do if your scanner settings change
Adding an additional scanner to a calibrated project
p. 24
p. 7, 46
p. 15, 52
Calibration
• Overview
• Starting a new project, selecting project settings
• Starting the Calibration
• Completing the iteration
• Completing the calibration
p. 2
p. 33
p. 39
p. 43
p. 45
Making Custom LFC’s
For your primary scanner
For PhotoCD images
For a calibrated monitor
For an additional scanner
p. 49
p. 10
p. 12, 51
p. 15, 52
Printing
Calibrator Candidate BLL’s
Final Calibrator BLL’s
Images scanned on your primary scanner
PhotoCD images
Images produced on your monitor
Images scanned by an alternate scanner
Instructions for your photo lab
p. 72
p. 73
p. 73
p. 10, 76
p. 77
p. 78
p. 80
iv - FullCircle Calibration
Troubleshooting
Starting the Program
Loading a Project
Scanner Messages
Scanning the Calibrator
Making LFC’s
Calibration not complete after five iterations
Calibration degrades between iterations.
p. 84
p. 84
p. 87
p. 90
p. 91
p. 93
p. 94
FullCircle Calibration - v
Table of Contents
OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 1
1 - FULLCIRCLE CALIBRATION...................................................................................................... 2
Calibration.............................................................................................................................. 4
Printing................................................................................................................................... 6
2 - CHECKING AND UPDATING AN EXISTING CALIBRATION........................................................... 7
3 - CREATING AN LFC FOR PHOTOCD IMAGES ........................................................................... 10
4 - CREATING AN LFC FOR A DISPLAY MONITOR ....................................................................... 12
5 - ADDING AN ADDITIONAL SCANNER CALIBRATION TO A CALIBRATED PROJECT .................... 15
INSTALLATION ..................................................................................................................... 19
1 - PC COMPATIBLE INSTALLATION ............................................................................................ 20
Requirements........................................................................................................................ 20
Installing FullCircle Calibration .......................................................................................... 20
2 - APPLE MACINTOSH INSTALLATION ........................................................................................ 22
Requirements........................................................................................................................ 22
Installing FullCircle Calibration .......................................................................................... 22
SCANNING REFERENCE..................................................................................................... 23
1 - CONFIGURING YOUR SCANNER .............................................................................................. 24
2 - SCANNING THE SCANNER REFERENCE ................................................................................... 27
3 - SCANNING THE REFERENCE AND CALIBRATOR PRINTS .......................................................... 28
4 - SCANNING ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS TO COPY ...................................................................... 29
FULLCIRCLE CALIBRATION REFERENCE .................................................................. 31
1 - BASIC OPERATIONS................................................................................................................ 32
Starting the FullCircle Calibration Program ........................................................................ 32
Quitting the FullCircle Calibration Program........................................................................ 32
Obtaining Help ..................................................................................................................... 32
2 - CREATING A NEW PROJECT .................................................................................................... 33
Creating the Project File and Directory................................................................................ 33
Entering Project Settings...................................................................................................... 34
3 - OPENING EXISTING PROJECTS ................................................................................................ 37
4 - STARTING OR CONTINUING A CALIBRATION .......................................................................... 39
Start Calibration Dialog ....................................................................................................... 39
Status of the Calibration....................................................................................................... 40
vi - FullCircle Calibration
Selection of the Orientation Circles ..................................................................................... 40
Scan Evaluation Complete ................................................................................................... 43
5 - CHECKING & UPDATING A COMPLETED CALIBRATION .......................................................... 46
Initiating the Updating Process ............................................................................................ 46
Status of the Calibration ....................................................................................................... 47
Calibration Check Complete ................................................................................................ 47
6 - MAKING LFC’S ...................................................................................................................... 49
Starting the Build LFC Process............................................................................................ 49
Adding a Monitor LFC......................................................................................................... 51
Adding an Additional Scanner LFC..................................................................................... 52
LFC Properties ..................................................................................................................... 53
Removing an LFC ................................................................................................................ 55
7 - OTHER OPERATIONS .............................................................................................................. 56
Reverting to a Previous Iteration.......................................................................................... 56
Viewing the Log File............................................................................................................ 57
Installing Reference Files..................................................................................................... 58
Setting Preferences ............................................................................................................... 60
ADVANCED REFERENCE ................................................................................................... 63
1 - STATISTICAL INFORMATION ................................................................................................... 64
2 - GRAPHICAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................... 66
Toolbar Selection ................................................................................................................. 66
Scanner Profile Curve .......................................................................................................... 68
Density Deviation Curve ...................................................................................................... 68
LFC Curve............................................................................................................................ 69
Film Response Curve ........................................................................................................... 69
PRINTING REFERENCE ...................................................................................................... 71
1 - PRINTING THE CALIBRATOR CANDIDATE BLL....................................................................... 72
2 - PRINTING THE FINAL CANDIDATE BLL AND SCANNED ORIGINALS ....................................... 73
Scanning Your Original Photographs................................................................................... 73
Digital Retouching ............................................................................................................... 73
Printing the Final Calibrator BLL ........................................................................................ 74
Printing the Scanned Originals............................................................................................. 75
3 - PRINTING PHOTOCD IMAGES ................................................................................................. 76
4 - PRINTING IMAGES FROM A MONITOR LFC ............................................................................. 77
5 - PRINTING IMAGES SCANNED ON AN ADDED SCANNER ........................................................... 78
6 - THE PHOTOGRAPHIC LAB ....................................................................................................... 79
FullCircle Calibration - vii
Instructions for the Photographic Lab.................................................................................. 80
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE ............................................................................................ 83
1 - ERROR MESSAGES AND WARNINGS ....................................................................................... 84
Starting the Program............................................................................................................. 84
Loading a Project ................................................................................................................. 84
Scanner Messages ................................................................................................................ 87
Scanning the Calibrator........................................................................................................ 90
Making LFC’s ...................................................................................................................... 91
2 - GENERAL CALIBRATION PROBLEMS ...................................................................................... 93
Calibration not complete after five iterations....................................................................... 93
Calibration degrades between iterations............................................................................... 94
GLOSSARY.............................................................................................................................. 95
viii - FullCircle Calibration
FullCircle Calibration - ix
Chapter 1
Overview
The following sections give an overview of the FullCircle CalibrationTM
Process. These sections provide quick “ How To” information on each of
the specific calibration operations. More detailed information on the
calibration process is provided in reference chapters three, four, and five.
Information on printing retouched scanned images is presented in chapter
six.
FullCircle Calibration - 1
1 - FullCircle Calibration
Because the Calibration Process accounts for every step in the imaging
process, it is very important that the different components of the system
remain stable throughout the calibration:
•
•
•
•
•
The scanner settings must remain constant.
The same negative film must be used throughout.
The same photographic paper must be used throughout.
The same film recorder must be used throughout.
Photos must be developed at the same lab, using the methods
specified in the document Instruct.doc included in the FullCircle
installation.
Also, keep the following in mind before you begin the calibration:
•
Use a high contrast negative film and a high contrast photographic
paper such as Kodak Ultra or Kodak Edge. This will maximize the
likelihood that you will achieve a large density range on your final
output. Use of low contrast film or photographic paper may result in
loss of detail in either the highlights or shadows and additionally
could result in gray whites or muddy blacks.
•
Use a larger format film such as 120mm or 4x5 to reduce the noise
introduced by the film grain.
The diagram on the following page pictorially represents the complete
FullCircle Calibration process.
2 - FullCircle Calibration
FullCircle Calibration™ Procedure
Step 1
Select scanner settings and
lock them permanently
(Manual 3.1)
Begin
Step 5
Scan reference and
calibrator together*
(Manual 3.3)
Step 2
Scan reference*
(Manual 3.2)
Scanned
image file
Photographic paper
calibrator candidate
Step 4
Print new candidate**
(Manual 6.1)
Step 3
Run FullCircle
Calibration program
(Manual 4.1)
FullCircle
file
Accept Calibration?
No
Yes
New BLL calibrator
candidate image file
Final BLL
calibrator
image file
To achieve precise results, complete all
phases of the FullCircle Calibration™
procedure within a timely manner.
Paper originals
Step 6
Scan originals*
(Manual 3.4)
Scanned
image files
Step 7
Digital retouching
(Manual 6.2)
Custom
LFC file
Step 8
Print final BLL calibrator
and scanned images **
(Manual 6.2)
Photographic paper images
(Agree with scanned originals)
* Always use same scanner with same locked settings as in step 1.
** Always use fixed time printing. Always ensure calibrator circle matches Scanner Reference.
Always use same kind of negative film. Always use same kind of photo paper.
© 1995 Lasergraphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved
FullCircle Calibration - 3
Calibration
The block diagram on the preceding page is divided into two sections.
The upper portion of the diagram represents the calibration procedure. The
lower portion represents the scanning/editing process used after calibration
to print your scanned images, and is discussed in the next section.
Step 1 - Select Scanner Settings: The calibration procedure involves
determining acceptable scanner settings for use during the remainder of
the calibration. See “ Configuring Your Scanner” on p. 24 for details.
NOTE: Once scanner settings have been established, you should save
these settings and make efforts to ensure that these settings are not
changed during any part of the calibration procedure nor during the
scanning/editing process.
Step 2 - Scan the Reference: Using the scanner settings established in
step 1, scan the Lasergraphics FullCircle Calibration Scanner Reference
included with the software. The software will later analyze this scan to
create a profile of your scanner.
Step 3 - Run the FullCircle Calibration Program: When you run the
program for the first time, create a new calibration project. The program
will analyze the scan to create a scanner profile and determine whether the
scanner settings should be adjusted to cover a wider range of densities. If
the scanner settings are satisfactory, the program will create a test image
called a Calibrator Candidate. Print this file on your film recorder. This
image will be used later to characterize the response of the film and
photographic paper that you are using.
Step 4 - Print the Calibrator Candidate: To print the Calibrator
Candidate on your film recorder, run WinRascol Print Manager or
MacRascol Queue Builder and add the Calibrator Candidate BLL file
directly to the queue. Send the negative film to your photographic lab
with processing instructions (see “ Printing the Calibrator Candidate BLL”
on p. 72).
Step 5 - Scan the Scanner Reference and Calibrator Candidate print:
After receiving the print of the Calibrator Candidate back from the photo
lab, scan the Scanner Reference and the Calibrator Candidate together.
Ensure that the scanner settings have not been altered since the last scan
for this calibration. Save the image using the filename indicated in the
text on the Calibrator Candidate.
4 - FullCircle Calibration
Step 3 - Run the FullCircle Calibration Program: The program will
load the most recently used project and prompt you for the filename of the
scan in step 5. The Calibrator Candidate image will be analyzed to
determine whether further calibration is required. On the first Calibrator
Candidate, it is likely that rather significant adjustments will be needed
before the calibration will be complete. Assuming corrections need to be
made, FullCircle Calibration will make adjustments and print a new
Calibrator Candidate BLL.
Repeat Steps 4 & 5: Print the new Calibrator Candidate on your film
recorder and send the film to your photo lab with processing instructions.
After receiving the prints back from the lab, scan the Scanner Reference
with the new Calibrator Candidate.
Repeat Step 3 - Run the FullCircle Calibration Program: Enter the
filename for the most recent scan. The new Calibrator Candidate will
again be evaluated to determine if more corrections are needed. If so,
repeat steps 3-5 until no more corrections are needed. When the program
determines that the calibration is acceptable, it will create a Final
Calibrator and a new LFC. The Final Calibrator will be used by the
photographic lab to adjust the settings on their enlarger when printing your
scanned originals. The new LFC contains a custom look-up table to use
when printing your scanned originals. This custom LFC should be used
only with the film recorder, film, and photographic paper used in this
project.
NOTE: Although the first iteration will usually yield reasonably good
results, expect two to three iterations for best results.
FullCircle Calibration - 5
Printing
The scanning/editing process involves scanning photographs, digitally
retouching each photograph, printing the images to the film recorder,
developing the negative film, and printing to photographic paper. This is
done only after calibration has been completed.
Step 6 - Scan Original Photograph: Before scanning, ensure that the
scanner settings are identical to those used during the calibration process.
Results are unpredictable if the scanner settings have changed. Scan the
photographs that you wish to copy or retouch.
Step 7 - Retouching: Make alterations to your scanned image. See the
section “ Digital Retouching” on p. 73 for more information.
Step 8 - Print Final Calibrator and Retouched Scanned Imaged: Using
the WinRascol Print Manager or MacRascol Queue Builder, add the Final
Calibrator BLL to the film recorder queue. This file is found in the project
directory. The Final Calibrator is used by the photographic lab to establish
the correct settings for their enlarger during fixed time printing. When
printing your scanned images, go to the setup option in WinRascol Print
Manager or MacRascol Queue Builder and select the LFC created for this
calibration from the film type field. Set the red, green, and blue balances
to 100% and set the gamma to 0.5. Apply these settings and add your
images to the film recorder queue to print them. Send the negative film to
the photo lab with printing instructions (see “ Instructions for the
Photographic Lab” on p. 80).
6 - FullCircle Calibration
2 - Checking and Updating an Existing Calibration
Because FullCircle Calibration is a closed loop process, a change in any
component of the system will disrupt the calibration and the quality of the
resulting images produced from this process. Changing the scanner
settings, the paper batch, the film batch, or other factors could disrupt the
calibration. Fortunately, it is a relatively quick and easy process to
recalibrate after such a change. The diagram on the following page
pictorially represents the tune up procedure.
FullCircle Calibration - 7
Tuning Up An Existing FullCircle Calibration™
Necessary because: changing film/paper batch, C41/RA4 process shifts, different film recorder
Step 1
Print existing final BLL
calibrator file
(Manual 6.2)
Begin
Step 2
Scan reference and
calibrator together*
(Manual 3.3)
Scanned
image file
Photographic paper
calibrator candidate
Step 4
Print new candidate**
(Manual 6.1)
Step 3
Run FullCircle
Calibration program
(Manual 4.1)
Existing
FullCircle
file
Accept Calibration?
No
Yes
New BLL calibrator
candidate image file
To achieve precise results, complete all
phases of the FullCircle Calibration™
procedure within a timely manner.
Paper originals
Step 5
Scan originals*
(Manual 3.4)
Iteration is usually
unnecessary for tune-up.
Scanned
image files
Step 6
Digital retouching
(Manual 6.2)
Final BLL
calibrator
image file
Custom
LFC file
Step 7
Print final BLL calibrator
and scanned images **
(Manual 6.2)
Photographic paper images
(Agree with scanned originals)
* Always use same scanner with same locked settings as in step 1.
** Always use fixed time printing. Always ensure calibrator circle matches Scanner Reference.
Always use same kind of negative film. Always use same kind of photo paper.
© 1995 Lasergraphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved
8 - FullCircle Calibration
The following steps explain how to tune up an existing FullCircle
Calibration project.
Step 1- Print existing Final Calibrator BLL file: The Final Calibrator
file must be printed every time that you print your scanned originals. It is
recommended that you check the calibration every time you have the Final
Calibrator printed. Find a copy of the most recently printed Final
Calibrator, or if one is unavailable or you know that something has
changed in the printing process, print a new Final Calibrator and have it
developed and printed.
Step 2 - Scan the reference and the Final Calibrator together: Scan
the most recent Final Calibrator print along with the Scanner Reference at
the scanner settings established at the beginning of the calibration. Save
the scan file and place it in the project directory.
Step 3 - Run the FullCircle Calibration Program: Start the FullCircle
Calibration program and load the appropriate project. When asked to
Make New LFC or Check Calibrations, select Check Calibration. You
will be prompted to enter the name of the file scanned in step 2. The
program will analyze the image to determine if the calibration is
acceptable.
Step 4 - Print new candidate: If the calibration needs updating, the
program will generate a new Final Calibrator BLL and new LFC’s.
FullCircle Calibration - 9
3 - Creating an LFC for PhotoCD images
Kodak PhotoCD images are pictures that have been scanned or created
using a Kodak defined specification. The FullCircle Calibration program
automatically generates an LFC for PhotoCD images whenever you create
LFC’s.
To print a Kodak PhotoCD image, or any image that conforms to Kodak’s
specifications for PhotoCD images, start WinRascol Print Manager or
MacRascol Queue Builder. From the setup options, select the PhotoCD
LFC for the appropriate project corresponding to the film and paper type
that you are using. Add the images to the queue.
The process of creating a PhotoCD LFC and printing PhotoCD images is
illustrated on the following page.
10 - FullCircle Calibration
Calibrating Output To Kodak Photo CD
After FullCircle Calibration™ is Complete
Begin
Step 1
Run FullCircle Calibration
Kodak Photo CD
Specifications
(Manual 4.6)
Existing
calibrated
FullCircle file
Custom LFC
File
Existing final BLL
calibrator image file
Kodak Photo CD
image files
Step 2
Digital Retouching
(Manual 6.2)
Step 3
Print final BLL calibrator
and images**
(Manual 6.2)
Photographic paper images
(Agree with originals as scanned for Kodak Photo CD)
** Always use fixed time printing. Always ensure calibrator circle matches Scanner Reference.
Always use same kind of negative film. Always use same kind of photo paper.
© 1995 Lasergraphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved
FullCircle Calibration - 11
4 - Creating an LFC for a Display Monitor
When digitally retouching images, many people adjust the image so that it
looks acceptable on the monitor. When using the scanner LFC generated
by FullCircle, this may result in poor quality prints, as the LFC you are
using is calibrated to your scanner, not your monitor. The final printed
picture will look much different from the image on your display.
FullCircle Calibration provides a solution to this problem. FullCircle
allows you to create a custom LFC for your monitor so that you may edit
your images and make changes to the image based on how it appears on
the monitor. This method works well for monitors that are calibrated and
used under controlled lighting conditions. For poorly calibrated monitors,
this method has unpredictable results.
The process of adding a monitor LFC to a calibrated project is very easy
and will only take a few minutes to complete. See the diagram on the
following page for an overview of this process.
12 - FullCircle Calibration
Calibrating Output To Display Monitor
After FullCircle Calibration™ Is Complete
Begin
Step 1
Use a calibrated monitor.
Select desired gamma and
lock permanently
Transfer
monitor
settings to
program
Step 2
Run FullCircle
Calibration™ program
(Manual 4.6)
Existing
calibrated
FullCircle file
Custom
LFC File
Existing final BLL
calibrator image file
Image files as viewed
on calibrated monitor
(not scanned original)
Step 3
Print final BLL target
and images**
(Manual 6.2)
Photographic paper images
(Agree with image as viewed on monitor, not with scanned original)
Note: Must use a well calibrated monitor and keep monitor settings (intensity, contrast, gamma) constant.
** Always use fixed time printing. Always ensure calibrator circle matches Scanner Reference.
Always use same kind of negative film. Always use same kind of photo paper.
© 1995 Lasergraphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved
FullCircle Calibration - 13
Step 1 - Use a Calibrated Monitor: A monitor LFC should be used only
with a calibrated monitor under controlled lighting conditions. Failure to
follow these guidelines will result in printed images that appear different
from those on the monitor.
Step 2- Run the FullCircle Calibration Program: Start the FullCircle
Calibration program and load the appropriate project. When asked to
Make New LFC or Check Calibrations, select Make New LFC. Select
Add a Monitor LFC from the LFC Manager dialog. Enter a name for your
monitor and enter the monitor gamma. Press OK to add the monitor LFC
to the list of LFC’s. Press OK in the LFC Manager dialog to build the new
monitor LFC.
14 - FullCircle Calibration
5 - Adding an Additional Scanner Calibration to a
Calibrated Project
For individuals or companies with multiple scanners, or who wish to use
several different settings on one scanner in the process of copying or
retouching images, you may add additional scanners to an existing
calibrated project. Once a scanner has been added to the project, you can
immediately start scanning images and print them with the new LFC to
create perfectly matched copies of the originals.
The advantage of adding a scanner instead of starting a new calibration
with the scanner is that adding a scanner will take only minutes, as
compared to a week that may be needed for a complete calibration.
NOTE: The new LFC created for the additional scanner must still be used
with the same film recorder, negative film, and paper originally specified
for this project.
Shown on the following page are the steps necessary to add a scanner to an
existing calibrated project:
FullCircle Calibration - 15
Changing Scanner (or Scanner Settings) After
FullCircle Calibration™ is Complete
Begin
Step 1
Select scanner settings and lock them
permanently
(Manual 3.1)
Step 2
Scan reference*
(Manual 3.2)
Scanned
image file
Step 3
Run FullCircle™ program
(New option or mode)
(Manual 4.6)
Existing
calibrated
FullCircle
file
Existing final BLL
calibrator image file
Film or
paper originals
Step 4
Scan originals*
(Manual 3.4)
Scanned
image files
Step 5
Digital retouching
(Manual 6.2)
Custom
LFC File
Step 6
Print final BLL calibrator
and scanned images **
(Manual 6.2)
Photographic paper images
(Agree with scanned originals)
* Always use same scanner with same locked settings as in step 1.1
** Always use fixed time printing. Always ensure calibrator circle matches Scanner Reference.
Always use same kind of negative film. Always use same kind of photo paper.
© 1995 Lasergraphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved
16 - FullCircle Calibration
A brief explanation of each of the steps in the process of adding a scanner
follows:
Step 1 - Select Scanner Settings: For the new scanner to be added,
determine acceptable scanner settings. See section 3.1 for details on how
to determine the best settings for your scanner.
NOTE: Once scanner settings have been established, save these settings
and make efforts to ensure that these settings are not changed.
Step 2 - Scan the Reference: Using the scanner settings established in
step 1, scan the Lasergraphics FullCircle Calibration Scanner Reference
included with the software. The software will later analyze this scan to
create a profile of your scanner.
Step 3 - Run the FullCircle Calibration Program: When you start the
FullCircle Calibration Program with your calibrated project, you will be
asked whether you would like to make a new LFC or to Check the
Calibration. Choose New LFC. In the LFC Manager dialog, choose to
add a scanner. Select a name for the new scanner and enter the filename
for the scan of the Scanner Reference The program will analyze the scan
to create a scanner profile. If the scan is acceptable, the program will
return you to the LFC Manager dialog in which your new scanner LFC
will be listed. Choose OK to update all LFC’s.
To print images scanned from the new scanner, start the WinRascol Print
Manager or MacRascol Queue Builder. From the setup options, choose
the LFC for the appropriate project with the new scanner name. Add the
files for the scanned originals to the film recorder queue to print them.
FullCircle Calibration - 17
18 - FullCircle Calibration
Chapter 2
Installation
The following sections will guide you through the installation of
FullCircle Calibration and necessary components.
Depending on the platform that you have requested, the FullCircle
Calibration program can be installed on either a PC compatible computer
or an Apple Macintosh. Each of these installations is discussed separately
below.
FullCircle Calibration - 19
1 - PC Compatible Installation
The following section discusses the hardware and software requirements
for running the FullCircle Calibration program on a PC compatible
computer.
Requirements
The following are minimum requirements to run FullCircle Calibration:
PC compatible with 80386 or above (Pentium recommended)
Windows 95 or above
8 MB RAM
2 MB available on hard drive
SVGA video card
1.44 MB 3.5 inch floppy disk drive
Additional Hardware
Lasergraphics LFR film recorder
A paper original scanner
Required Software
WinRascol RIP 2.0 or higher
Image editing software
Installing FullCircle
Calibration
1. Close all applications, including WinRascol Driver and WinRascol
Print Manager.
2. Insert the FullCircle Calibration Installation Disk #1 into the A: drive
and run the setup program.
To run the setup program:
2.1
Invoke the Run command under the File menu of Windows
Program Manager.
2.2
Enter A:\SETUP and click OK.
3. Respond to the prompts to continue installation and select a target
directory for the installation (C:\Program Files\FullCircle is the default
installation directory). During installation, the following actions will
be taken:
20 - FullCircle Calibration
3.1
Program and data files will be copied to the target directory.
3.2
New LFC files will be copied into your WinRascol directory.
FullCircle Calibration - 21
2 - Apple Macintosh Installation
The following section discusses the hardware and software requirements
for running the FullCircle Calibration program on an Apple Macintosh
computer.
Requirements
The following are minimum requirements to run FullCircle Calibration:
Apple Macintosh
68020 and above or PowerPC
8 MB RAM
2 MB available on hard drive
floppy disk drive, high density
MacOS System 7.0 or higher
Additional Hardware
Lasergraphics LFR film recorder
A paper original scanner
Required Software
MacRascolRIP 3.5 or higher
Image editing software
Installing FullCircle
Calibration
1. Insert the FullCircle Calibration Installation Disk 1 into the diskette
drive.
2. Run the installation program by double clicking on the “ FullCircle
Installation” icon.
3. Respond to the prompts to continue installation and select a target
folder for the installation (FullCircle is the default installation folder).
During installation, the FullCircle files will be copied to the target
folder.
22 - FullCircle Calibration
Chapter 3
Scanning Reference
This chapter covers issues related to your scanner and how it fits into the
FullCircle Calibration Process. The individual sections cover calibrating
your scanner for FullCircle Calibration, scanning the FullCircle
Calibration Scanner Reference, scanning the Calibrator Candidates, and
scanning original images to be duplicated or retouched.
FullCircle Calibration - 23
1 - Configuring Your Scanner
Scanner manufacturers go to great lengths to make their scanners easy to
use and to make it easy to produce good looking scans “ out of the box.”
Although this is often the case, some adjustment to your scanner settings
may be necessary for optimal operation with FullCircle Calibration.
Since scanners are designed to work with several types of input media,
including photographic paper, slide film, transparencies, and negatives, the
density range that the scanner is capable of detecting is usually much
larger than the density range of the photographic paper you are scanning.
Because of this, the default settings of the scanner will usually not use a
wide enough pixel level range to represent the color space of your image.
You must compensate for this by adjusting the scanner settings as
described in the following sections.
When configuring your scanner for FullCircle Calibration, the following
three goals need to be achieved:
• Ensure that the brightest pixels in the scans have levels above 230.
• Ensure that the darkest pixels in your scans to have levels below 20.
• Attempt to make your scan image look similar to the original. The
picture should look similar in brightness, and you should ensure that no
detail is lost in the highlights or shadows.
To help achieve these goals, a photographic print called the Lasergraphics
FullCircle Scanner Reference has been included with the software. This
print contains a range of gray steps including a dark black region and a
bright white region.
Use this print in the directions below to help you find suitable scanner
settings.
1. Save the current scanner settings. See your scanner software manual
for details.
2. Load the default scanner settings. The software interface for most
scanners has a reset button or default settings menu item.
24 - FullCircle Calibration
3. Disable all automatic adjustment features, such as auto highlighting of
your scanner software. Features such as this adjust the scanner settings
differently for every image based on the characteristics of each image.
Although this will often give a visually appealing result, these features
must not be used with FullCircle. FullCircle requires the scanner
settings to remain constant for every image.
4. Scan the Lasergraphics FullCircle Calibration Scanner Reference. For
flat bed scanners, cover the entire bed of the scanner with dull black
paper or cloth to absorb as much light as possible (many scanner
covers have a white surface, thereby reflecting the light back into the
scanner and brightening dark areas of your image).
5. Using a graphical editing package, examine the RGB levels for the
pixels in the brightest region of the scan image. The levels should be
above 230 for each of red, green, and blue. If the pixel values are
below 230, you will most likely need to adjust the contrast, gamma,
brightness, or white point of your scanner.
This step is necessary to get an adequate range of pixel levels to
represent the color space of your image and so that the scanned image
appears minimally acceptable on your monitor. Low levels for the
bright regions would make the image look dull on your monitor.
NOTE: Do not edit the scan image in your image retouching software.
Use the software only to view the pixel levels and adjust the scanner
settings to get the desired results in your scan.
6. Examine the RGB levels for the pixels in the darkest regions of the
scanned image. The levels should be below 20 in each of red, green,
and blue. If this is not the case, you will again need to modify the
scanner settings to achieve lower pixel values in the dark regions.
When you make this adjustment, make sure that the bright regions are
not affected.
This step is necessary to get an adequate pixel range to represent the
color space and so that the images that appear on your monitor look
acceptable. If low values are not obtained for the dark areas of your
scans, blacks will appear gray.
7. Compare the scanned image to the reference print. Find the darkest
distinguishable step in the gray sweep on the print. Ensure that this
step is distinguishable on the scanned image. If not, make an effort to
adjust the scanner settings so that this step will be distinguishable.
FullCircle Calibration - 25
8. With the scanner settings achieved to this point, scan a photograph
along with the FullCircle Scanner Reference. Ensure that the scan of
the photograph appears similar to the actual picture. If not, additional
adjustment of your scanner settings will be necessary.
IMPORTANT: After completing these steps, your scanner should be
ready to start the calibration procedure. To proceed through the
calibration procedure as quickly as possible and to ensure the quality of
your final pictures, save the current scanner settings and make sure that
these scanner settings are used every time you scan an image related to this
calibration.
26 - FullCircle Calibration
2 - Scanning the Scanner Reference
The first step in every calibration is to make a new scan of the
Lasergraphics FullCircle Calibration Scanner Reference. Before scanning
the Reference, check the expiration date on the print to make sure that the
Reference is still valid. New Reference prints may be ordered by
contacting Lasergraphics.
Examine the Scanner Reference for dust, dirt, scratches, or any other
marks that will distort the scan of the print. Clean the print if necessary.
The Scanner Reference may be placed in the scanner at any angle, or in
any position.
If you are using a flatbed scanner, place dull black paper or cloth over the
scan bed to absorb any light not falling on the Scanner Reference. Flatbed
scanners with white covers reflect much of the light back into the scanner
and onto the sensor array, brightening the darker regions of your image.
Select the scanner settings as established for this project and select a
resolution of about 300 DPI. Although your scanner may be able to scan
at much higher resolution, this will not improve the calibration results.
Hint: If your scanner software allows you to preview the image and select
a cropping region, crop the picture so that you include the colored circles
surrounding the gray scale strips. If your software does not allow you to
crop the image, you may wish to edit the image after scanning to perform
this cropping operation. This will greatly reduce the amount of image
processing that must be done by FullCircle Calibration.
Scan the print and save it in non-compressed TIFF format for fastest
processing of your image by the FullCircle software. Place the scanned
image in the FullCircle directory.
NOTE: FullCircle Calibration can read LZW compressed TIFF images
and Photoshop (PSD) images, although processing time is significantly
reduced with non-compressed TIFF.
FullCircle Calibration - 27
3 - Scanning the Reference and Calibrator Prints
NOTE: This procedure applies only after you have run FullCircle
Calibration and have printed out either a Calibrator Candidate or a Final
Calibrator.
Examine both the Scanner Reference and the Calibrator print. Ensure that
there is no dust, dirt, scratches, or other marks that will affect the scan of
these prints. Clean the prints if necessary. Ensure that the Scanner
Reference has not expired.
Place the Calibrator next to the Scanner Reference prints on the scanner.
For fastest processing, align the prints with the top or bottom edge of the
scanning surface.
Select the scanner settings as determined for this project and select a
resolution of about 300 DPI. Preview the image and select a cropping
region that includes both sets of gray scale strips and the colored circles
surrounding them.
Scan the image. Save the image to your project directory with the file
name specified on the Calibrator.
28 - FullCircle Calibration
4 - Scanning Original Photographs to Copy
NOTE: This procedure applies only after you have completed the
FullCircle Calibration Process.
Examine your photographic print. Ensure that there is no dust, dirt,
scratches, or other marks that will affect the quality of the scan. Clean the
prints if necessary.
Select the scanner settings used when calibrating this project and select a
resolution appropriate for the size of your print and the resolution of the
film recorder.
Scan the image and save to file. Refer to Chapter 6 regarding retouching
scanned images and printing the scans to your film recorder.
FullCircle Calibration - 29
30 - FullCircle Calibration
Chapter 4
FullCircle
Calibration
Reference
This chapter is intended as a reference to the FullCircle Calibration
program. For step by step procedures, refer to the diagrams and their
instructions in the “ Overview” starting on p 1.
FullCircle Calibration - 31
1 - Basic Operations
The operations discussed in this brief section involve starting the
FullCircle Calibration program, quitting the program, and getting help.
Starting the FullCircle
Calibration Program
Windows: From the Start Menu, click on the FullCircle program group.
In the program group, click on FullCircle Calibration to launch the
application.
Apple Macintosh: Double click on FullCircle in the installation folder
(default: FullCircle).
Quitting the FullCircle
Calibration Program
Windows: From the File Menu, select Exit.
Apple Macintosh: From the File menu, select Quit.
There is no need to save your projects before quitting FullCircle
Calibration. All the necessary information is saved automatically after
each iteration of the calibration.
Obtaining Help
32 - FullCircle Calibration
A limited amount of help is available from the Help menu, although at this
point the manual is the best source of information. For questions not
answered by the manual or on-line help, call Lasergraphics technical
support.
2 - Creating a New Project
If you are using the program for the first time, you will be prompted
immediately for the name of a new project to open. A project is simply a
logical organization of the data that is required to perform the FullCircle
Calibration.
If necessary, you may start a new project or open an existing project
manually, as described in the following sections.
Creating the Project File
and Directory
For every project, a new directory is created to help you organize the files
that belong to a particular calibration process. Because a new project
needs to be created for every combination of scanner, film type, paper
type, output resolution, and film recorder, it is possible to have dozens of
project files.
To open a new project manually, select New Project from the Files pulldown menu.
The Create Project file dialog is displayed in response to your request to
create a new project.
FullCircle Calibration - 33
Select the directory in which you would like the new project directory to
be placed. The default parent directory is the FullCircle installation
directory.
Choose a name for your project that reflects the different components of
the calibration (film type, paper type, scanner, film recorder, etc.). The
name of the directory created will be the same as the project name. Type
the name of your project into the open project dialog. The default
extension for project files is FC.
FullCircle will attempt to create the new project subdirectory. If not
successful, you will be prompted to enter an alternate project name.
Entering Project
Settings
34 - FullCircle Calibration
Upon successfully opening a new project, you will be prompted to enter
information specific to this calibration, including the film recorder model,
output resolution, the photographic paper, the scanner, and the film type.
All fields in the following dialog must be filled in.
Selecting the Film Recorder
Choose the film recorder model first, as this determines what resolutions
are available. Select a film recorder from the drop down list.
Selecting the Resolution
Choose the resolution second. The film recorder model and resolution
determine what LFC’s will be available.
Selecting the Scanner
To select a scanner, you may either type a new scanner name into the
scanner edit field, or you may select a scanner name from the list of
scanner names available. We recommend that you keep the scanner name
short (under seven characters).
Selecting the Paper Type
To select a paper type, you may either type a new paper name into the
paper type edit field, or you may select a paper type from the list of paper
types in the drop down list. We recommend that you keep the name of the
paper type relatively short.
NOTE: When selecting a photographic paper to use in the calibration and
for future images, we recommend using a high contrast paper such as
Kodak Ultra or Kodak Edge. The high contrast paper will allow you to
obtain both very bright whites and dark blacks in your images.
Selecting the Negative Film
From the drop down list, choose the film that you will be using for this
calibration. This will be the film that you will use for the remainder of the
calibration.
NOTE: When selecting a film type, you also choose the film format, i.e.
the film size (35 mm, 120, 4x5). We recommend selecting a larger film
format, such as 4x5, to reduce the film grain noise on the photographic
print.
Changing the LFC Name
FullCircle Calibration - 35
The LFC Name is a name that identifies the LFC that you are creating with
FullCircle Calibration. After you have completed the calibration and wish
to print images, you must select the appropriate FullCircle LFC from the
WinRascol or MacRascol setup options. In order to more easily identify
the LFC that you are creating, the program will construct an LFC name for
you consisting of the project name, the negative film type, the resolution,
paper type, and scanner. The LFC name is limited to 38 characters and it
may be necessary for you to edit the name to shorten it.
36 - FullCircle Calibration
3 - Opening Existing Projects
Whenever you start the FullCircle Calibration program, it will open the
most recently used project.
To manually open an existing project, select Open Project from the File
pull-down menu.
Choose the project to open from the following dialog:
FullCircle Calibration - 37
If the project is successfully opened, the project settings will be displayed.
Press OK to continue working with this project or Change Project to
open a different project. Press New Project to create a new project.
38 - FullCircle Calibration
4 - Starting or Continuing a Calibration
If you need to start the calibration procedure manually, select Start
Calibration from the Utilities menu on the main menu bar.
Start Calibration Dialog
Whenever a project file is opened, the calibration process is automatically
launched. When opening a new project, this process is started after
selecting the project settings (film recorder, resolution, etc.). It is in this
process that the program analyzes the scan images of the Scanner
Reference, Calibrator, or Calibrator Candidate. Based on the analysis, the
program determines if further calibration is needed.
The following dialog is displayed when starting the calibration:
FullCircle Calibration - 39
Selecting the Scan Filename
In iteration 0, you are prompted to scan the FullCircle Scanner reference.
Type the name into the filename edit field, or press Browse (Find on a
Macintosh) to navigate through the file structure to locate the file.
In iterations greater than 0, the default name for the scan file will
automatically be entered in the scan filename edit field. If you saved the
scan of the Calibrator Candidate as indicated on the candidate print, you
will not have to type in a filename at this point. If you need to manually
select the filename, enter the drive, path, and filename in the edit field or
press Browse to navigate the file structure to select the correct file.
Status of the Calibration
After entering the scan filename into the Start Calibration dialog, press
Start to begin the Scan Evaluation process. The process of evaluating the
scan file can take up to several minutes depending on the speed of your
computer. To assure you that the process is indeed nearing completion, a
status box is displayed to inform you of the progress of the scan evaluation
and calibration.
The project name and the current iteration are displayed in the status box,
in addition to a message indicating the current task and a status bar to
indicate the progress on the current task.
Selection of the
Orientation Circles
In the default mode of evaluating the scan file, FullCircle Calibration
performs some image analysis on your scan file to determine the location
of the cyan, magenta, and yellow orientation circles on the reference
image, and the red, green, and blue orientation circles on the calibrator
image.
If the program finds the orientation circles, you will be asked to confirm
that the selection has been performed properly. FullCircle will display the
scan image with a solid white box around each of the colored orientation
circles (the gray circles will not be selected; this is normal).
In the status box, you will be asked if the selections were made correctly.
Select Yes or No depending on whether the program selected the
orientation circles correctly. If you select No, you will be prompted to
help the program locate the orientation circles as described later in this
section.
40 - FullCircle Calibration
In some instances, FullCircle will not be able to detect the orientation
circles at all and you will be asked to manually select the circles.
Manual Selection of Orientation Circles - Point &
Click
In the following instances, you may be asked to manually select the
orientation circles for the reference or calibrator images, or both:
• You have chosen manual selection of orientation circles from the
Preferences Dialog.
• When asked if orientation circle selection was OK, you selected NO.
• The program has attempted to locate the orientation circles and failed.
NOTE: When FullCircle cannot find the orientation circles, this is usually
an indication that the scanner settings need to be adjusted and we strongly
suggest that you examine your scanner settings to ensure that they are
correct, or have not changed since the previous iteration.
When the program is unable to locate the orientation circles, you will be
prompted to select each orientation circle and the following dialog is
displayed:
FullCircle Calibration - 41
The status dialog will indicate which orientation circle to select by color.
For example, to select the cyan orientation circle, move the mouse cursor
over the scan file image window, point it at the cyan orientation circle and
press the left mouse button. After a small delay, in which the program is
performing some image analysis, a solid white box will be drawn around
the orientation circle. The status box will indicate that you should then
select the next orientation circle, in this case, magenta.
The program will lead you through the selection of each of the orientation
circles until all have been selected. At this time, you will again be asked
to confirm the proper selection of the circles. If the circles have been
selected properly, select Done. If you wish to abort the scan evaluation
and calibration, press Cancel. If you wish to edit any of the orientation
circle selections, select Adjust Previous.
42 - FullCircle Calibration
Adjust Manually Selected Orientation Circles - Drag
& Resize
At any time that you are selecting the orientation circles manually, you
may edit any previously selected circle. To do this, select Adjust
Previous from the Scan Evaluation status box. The status box will
indicate which orientation circle can then be edited.
To move the current selection, place the mouse cursor in the center of the
selection. The mouse cursor will change to a move cursor. Press and hold
down the left mouse button as you drag the selection box to the new
location.
To resize the current selection, place the mouse cursor over one of the
edges of the selection box. The cursor will change to indicate which
direction you may resize. Press and hold down the left mouse button as
you resize the selection box.
You may continue to edit a selection box until you are satisfied that it has
been selected properly. Once satisfied, you may edit other selections or
continue the Point & Click selection. Select Adjust Previous from the
Scan Evaluation status box if you wish to adjust an earlier selection box.
Select Next from the Scan Evaluation status box if you wish to edit a later
selection or
return to the normal selection process.
Scan Evaluation
Complete
The purpose of evaluating the scanned images is to determine if any
further calibration is required. The gray blocks in the calibrator image are
compared against expected values and are also evaluated for color balance.
If the values fall within tolerance, further calibration is not needed and
your calibration is complete. If these values do not fall within the
tolerated limits, you will be prompted to continue the calibration.
FullCircle Calibration - 43
NOTE: Although the program makes a recommendation as to whether
the calibration is complete or more calibration is required, you may
override this decision. This is not, however, recommended. If you decide
to complete a calibration even though FullCircle recommends that you
continue calibration, the resulting prints will not have the correct contrast
and balance. If you attempt to continue a calibration that FullCircle
indicates is complete, any additional correction resulting from an
additional iteration will most likely be undetectable.
Additional data in the form of statistical information and graphs is
available from the Statistics and Graphs buttons. This data is intended
for the advanced user and for troubleshooting. Viewing and understanding
this information is not necessary in the majority of cases. Information on
these subjects can be found in the next chapter.
Aborting the Calibration
Select Abort this calibration attempt and press OK to abort this iteration of
the calibration. None of the information regarding this iteration of the
calibration will be saved.
44 - FullCircle Calibration
Continue the Calibration Process
If you choose to continue the calibration, FullCircle performs the
calculations to generate a new internal LFC. This internal LFC is used to
create a new Calibrator Candidate BLL which is placed in the project
directory. Print this BLL on your film recorder and send the film to your
photo lab with the development instructions (see “ Instructions for the
Photographic Lab” on p. 80).
Calibration is Complete
If you choose to complete the calibration, the Final Calibrator Candidate
BLL will be generated and placed in the project directory. In addition,
you will be prompted to create the new custom LFC’s for this calibration.
See section “ Making LFC’s” on p. 49 for more information.
Now that your calibration is complete, you may scan original photographs
and print accurate reproductions. See chapter 6 for details on this process.
FullCircle Calibration - 45
5 - Checking & Updating a Completed Calibration
After a calibration has been completed, it is a good idea to periodically
check the calibration to ensure that it is still up to date. Several factors can
change over time that will affect the calibration, including:
•
•
•
Shift in RA4/C41 process
Different film or paper batch
Shift in light source for your scanner
To check the calibration to ensure it is up to date, scan the most recent
Final Calibrator print if you have a recent copy. Or if there is no recent
Final calibrator or you suspect a change since you printed the most recent
calibrator, print another Final Calibrator and have it developed.
Scan the Final Calibrator print with the FullCircle Scanner Reference on
your scanner with the scanner settings established for this project.
Initiating the Updating
Process
When the program starts, load your project if it is not the default. The
program will automatically prompt you to perform several actions,
including checking the calibration.
If you are not to this point, select Continue Calibration from the Utilities
menu to start the process.
From the dialog below, press Check Calibration.
The following dialog is displayed to start checking the calibration:
46 - FullCircle Calibration
Selecting the Scan Filename
The default name for the scan file will automatically be entered in the scan
filename edit field. If you saved the scan of the Final Calibrator as
indicated on the print, you will not have to type in a filename at this point.
If you need to select the filename manually, enter the drive, path, and
filename in the edit field or press Browse to navigate the file structure to
select the correct file.
Status of the Calibration
After entering the scan filename into the Check Calibration dialog, press
Start to begin the Scan Evaluation. The process of evaluating the scan
file can take up to several minutes depending on the speed of your
computer. To assure you that the process is indeed nearing completion, a
status box is displayed to inform you of the progress of the scan evaluation
and calibration.
The project name is displayed in the status box in addition to a message
indicating the current task, and a status bar is displayed to indicate the
progress on the current task.
The scan image will be displayed on screen and you will be asked to verify
the selection of the orientation circles as described in the previous section.
Calibration Check
Complete
The purpose of evaluating the scanned images is to determine if the
calibration needs to be updated. The gray blocks in the calibrator image
are compared against expected values and are also evaluated for color
balance. If the values fall within tolerance, a touch up is not needed. If
these values do not fall within the tolerated limits, you will be prompted to
update the calibration.
FullCircle Calibration - 47
Calibration Acceptable - No touch up Recommended
If this option is selected, the calibration is up to date. The LFC does not
need to be updated. Select OK and continue to use the same Calibrator
BLL and LFC’s.
Calibration Acceptable - Touch up Recommended
When this option is selected, the calibration is just slightly off. The
program will attempt to make corrections in one step to correct the
calibration. If you choose to accept this option, new LFC’s will be
constructed for this project, and a new Final Calibrator BLL will be
constructed and placed in your project directory. You may then
immediately use the new LFC’s to print new pictures.
Calibration Unacceptable - Iteration Necessary
When this option is selected, a more serious problem has been encountered
with the calibration. The program cannot make the correction in one step,
and you must perform an iteration of the calibration. The difference
between this and the previous option is that no LFC’s will be constructed,
and instead of a Final Calibrator being constructed, FullCircle will make a
new Calibrator Candidate BLL. You must go through the calibration steps
with this new calibrator candidate until an acceptable candidate is
produced by FullCircle. Not until this point should you try to print any
scanned originals, as the calibration is not yet complete.
48 - FullCircle Calibration
6 - Making LFC’s
This section discusses the process of making LFC’s. An LFC is a file that
is used by the film recorder to adjust how it images the files sent to it.
Printing the same image file with different LFC’s will result in different
looking pictures. The goal of FullCircle is to produce LFC’s that are
calibrated to your specific imaging environment in order to produce prints
that are exact copies of your scanned originals.
Although you may make LFC’s for a given project at any time after the
first iteration, that is, the first correction to the original LFC with which
you started the project, LFC’s are not normally constructed until the
calibration for the project has been completed.
Starting the Build LFC
Process
Your project is complete when the Scan Evaluation dialog has the
Calibration Complete option selected as shown below:
Selecting OK will start the process of making LFC’s.
Alternately, you may start making LFC’s by selecting the LFC Manager
item in the Utilities menu.
FullCircle Calibration - 49
Either method will display the following LFC Manager dialog:
Iteration
The iteration field shows the iteration for which the LFC’s will be made.
The default is the current iteration and although you may make LFC’s for
a previous iteration, this is not suggested under normal circumstances
because the project has not been completed, and the LFC’s would not
reflect the further corrections of the later iterations.
LFC List
Listed in the center of the dialog are the names of the LFC’s that will be
constructed. There will always be at least two LFC names listed. The first
LFC is constructed for the default scanner. The other LFC that will always
be present is the LFC for Kodak PhotoCD images. You may use this LFC
to print PhotoCD images to the film recorder, negative film, and paper
specified in this project. Look for these names in WinRascol Print
Manager or MacRascol Queue Builder when selecting the LFC to use for
your scanned images or PhotoCD images.
50 - FullCircle Calibration
Build the LFC’s
To make the LFC’s, press Build LFC’s. The LFC’s will be placed in the
default LFC directory. If you are not sure where that is or if the LFC’s do
not appear in your WinRascol Print Manager or MacRascol Queue
Builder, see the troubleshooting section of this manual.
In addition to constructing LFC’s for your scanner and for PhotoCD
images, FullCircle Calibration can also construct LFC’s for your calibrated
monitor and for additional scanners. See the sections below for more
information.
Adding a Monitor LFC
A monitor LFC is used either for images that you produced on your
monitor display, or for images that you have extensively edited on your
monitor.
NOTE: A monitor LFC should be constructed only for a calibrated
monitor used under controlled lighting conditions. Failure to follow these
guidelines will result in printed images that do not appear as they do on the
monitor.
To create a monitor LFC, press the Add Monitor button from the LFC
Manager dialog. The following dialog will be shown:
Monitor Name
Enter a unique name for you monitor. This name will be added to the LFC
name to distinguish the LFC for this monitor from the other LFC’s in this
project.
FullCircle Calibration - 51
Monitor Gamma
Enter a gamma for your monitor. The normal range for a monitor gamma
is 1.8 to 2.2. When you calibrate your monitor, you specify the gamma to
which you are calibrating your monitor.
Add the Monitor LFC
Press OK to add the monitor LFC to the list of LFC’s to be constructed.
NOTE: The monitor LFC is not constructed until you press OK in the
LFC Manager dialog.
Adding an Additional
Scanner LFC
If you have more than one scanner, or if you want to print images that
have been scanned on someone else’s scanner, you can add LFC’s for
these other scanners. The advantage of doing this over starting a new
calibration for this scanner is that you do not have to go through the
lengthy calibration procedure again. The calibration for this combination
of film recorder, film, and paper has already been completed. This
process allows you to simply swap one input device (scanner) for another.
Using the scanner to be added, scan the Lasergraphics FullCircle
Calibration Scanner Reference and save it in the project directory. This
scan will be used to create a profile of the scanner.
To add the LFC for your additional scanner, press the Add Scanner button
in the LFC Manager dialog. The Add Scanner dialog will appear:
52 - FullCircle Calibration
Scanner Name
Select a scanner name from the drop down list, or type a new scanner
name into the edit field. New scanner names will be added to the list of
available scanners.
Scan Image Filename
Enter the drive, path, and filename of the scanned reference into the
filename field, or press Browse to find the proper file.
Add the Scanner LFC
Press OK to add the Scanner LFC to the list of LFC’s to be built in the
LFC Manager dialog. The program will perform some image analysis on
the scanned image to find the cyan, magenta, and yellow orientation
circles. You will be asked to verify the position of the orientation circles if
the program can locate them, or if not, you will be asked to point them out.
After locating the orientation circles, FullCircle will analyze each of the
gray steps in the image to determine a scanner profile. This image
analysis may take up to several minutes to perform, depending on the
speed of your computer and on the size of the image file.
NOTE: The new scanner LFC will only be constructed if you press OK
in the LFC Manager dialog. If you cancel, the information needed to
construct the LFC will be preserved, but the LFC itself will not be made.
LFC Properties
To view information about an LFC, highlight the LFC in the LFC list, and
press Properties. If several LFC’s are highlighted, you will be shown the
properties of the first LFC highlighted.
The following dialog is displayed for scanner LFC’s:
FullCircle Calibration - 53
Image Source
The image source displays the device from which the image was obtained,
or the device to which the LFC is calibrated. In this case, the LFC that is
displayed is calibrated from the Nikon Scanner. Other sources that you
may see in this field are other scanner names, monitor names that you have
entered, or PhotoCD.
LFC Name
This field displays the name that will be given to this LFC. When you
print your images, select this LFC name from the WinRascol Print
Manager Setup menu or MacRascol Queue Builder.
LFC Filename
This field shows the filename given to the LFC. This information is
provided for those who want to verify that the LFC has indeed been placed
in their LFC folder, or who wish to delete LFC’s manually.
Density Shift
This field is present for scanners only, and is the only field that may be
modified. The density shift is an offset from your actual scanner density.
The purpose of the shift is to prevent loss of detail in the brightest regions
of your scans. The effect on your images may be to darken them very
slightly. If you wish to brighten the images back to normal, enter 0 in this
54 - FullCircle Calibration
field. If you believe that you are losing detail in your prints that you can
see on the monitor, raise this number in increments of .05.
Removing an LFC
If you find that you have made a mistake or no longer need an LFC, you
may select to remove the LFC. Select the LFC by pointing at the LFC
name and clicking. Your selection will be highlighted. Press the Remove
button in the LFC Manager dialog to remove the LFC from the list of
LFC’s to be made. This process will also remove the LFC from your LFC
directory.
FullCircle Calibration - 55
7 - Other Operations
The following section provides you with information on accessing other
features of FullCircle. These features include reverting to a previous
iteration, viewing the log file, viewing and installing reference files, and
setting preferences.
Reverting to a Previous
Iteration
If you find at any time that you have made some mistake in the calibration
process, you may choose to “ revert,” or return to a point before the error
occurred. You can in effect “ erase” the errant iteration by using the
Revert to Previous Iteration feature.
From the Utilities menu, select Revert to Previous Iteration. This selection
will display the Revert dialog shown below:
Iteration
In the Iteration field, you may select the iteration to which you would like
to return. By default, the iteration selected is the previous iteration. You
may however elect to skip back several iterations.
Perform the Revert
To revert to the iteration specified in the Iteration field, press OK. The
information in the subsequent iterations will be lost.
56 - FullCircle Calibration
Press Cancel from this dialog if you decide that you do not wish to
perform the revert operation.
NOTE: It is rare that you should need to revert to a previous iteration.
This should be used as a last resort, after you are sure that nothing else can
be done to salvage the current iteration. A condition under which you may
have to revert would be if you had inadvertently used the incorrect scanner
settings to perform an iteration of the calibration, or that the photographic
lab did not calibrate your prints correctly.
Viewing the Log File
In addition to a project file, the FullCircle Calibration program creates a
log file to keep track of the operations that you perform and the errors that
you encounter. This information can be useful if you have not worked
with a project for a period of time and wish to see what actions have been
performed. The log file is also a useful tool for debugging should any
problems arise with your calibration or with the program. If you call
technical support, they may wish for you to print out the log file for
reference.
To view the log file, select Activity Log from the View menu.
You may print the contents of the log from the FullCircle program by
making the log window the active window (click on the title bar), and
select Print from the File menu.
FullCircle Calibration - 57
Installing Reference
Files
Reference files are used by the FullCircle program in conjunction with the
FullCircle Calibration Scanner Reference Prints. Each Scanner Reference
is assigned a number and an expiration date. The reference number is
printed on the reference and also encoded on the reference so it can be
identified by the image analysis software. When you scan a reference, the
program locates the encoded number and attempts to open the reference
file that is associated with that print.
The reference file and the Scanner Reference each have the same reference
number. For example, reference number 1 and reference file P1.REF are
used together.
A reference file must be installed for each reference print that you intend
to use. If you scan reference 23, you must have reference file P23.REF
installed.
Viewing the Installed Reference Files
To view the installed reference files, select Reference List from the View
menu. The Reference List dialog will be displayed.
The references are listed in the center of the dialog. Three fields describe
each installed reference.
58 - FullCircle Calibration
Reference Number
A unique reference number is assigned to each Reference print. This same
reference number is encoded in the reference file and used as part of the
reference file name. Compare the reference numbers listed to the
reference number listed on the reference print you are using. Make sure
that the reference number appears in this list.
Expiration Date
Because prints fade over time, each reference print will expire after a
given amount of time. This date is listed both on the print and in this list.
The FullCircle program will not allow you to use an expired reference
print. If your reference is nearing expiration, call Lasergraphics to order a
new reference.
File
This field lists the name of the file that has been installed into your REF
subdirectory of the FullCircle directory for the given reference.
Installing Reference Files
To install a new reference, you must first have a Reference Installation
disk. A new reference and reference file come with the FullCircle
Calibration package when you buy FullCircle. New references may be
ordered from Lasergraphics.
In the Reference List dialog, press the New button to install a new
reference.
Windows: You will be prompted for the drive and path from which to
install the new reference.
Macintosh: You will be prompted to place the Reference disk in the
floppy drive if it is not already there.
New references will be copied to the REF subdirectory of the FullCircle
default directory, and the new reference will be added to the list of
installed references.
Removing Reference Files
To remove a reference from the list of references, highlight the reference
using the mouse. Press the Remove button to remove the reference from
the list and delete it from the directory.
FullCircle Calibration - 59
Setting Preferences
The Preferences dialog allows you to set several program features to
customize the program to your own personal tastes. Presently there are
only a few program settings that can be changed. The number of options
will be increased in future versions of the program.
The Preferences dialog contains two pages of options. The first page
allows you to select file options; the second page allows you to select
image analysis options.
Files Page
The Files Page of the Preference dialog allows you to set several options
regarding obsolete files, and also allows you set the default LFC directory.
Automatic Deletion of
Files
People differ in how they like to handle files that are no longer needed.
Some prefer to remove files immediately to keep their drives free from
clutter and to conserve disk space. Others prefer to keep files for a period
of time until they are convinced that they will no longer need them.
The two types of files that you may select for automatic deletion are the
scanned image files and the Calibrator BLL files.
The scanned image files are the files that you create when you scan the
Calibrator Candidate print along with the Reference print. This image is
used for only one iteration, but never again. Because it is a large file
(usually several megabytes), you may choose to delete this file after use.
The Calibrator Candidate BLL file is also used for one iteration only.
After you print this file on your film recorder, it has no more use.
60 - FullCircle Calibration
Several options exist for deleting (or not deleting these files)
•
•
•
FullCircle will delete them without prompting you.
FullCircle will prompt you before deletion.
FullCircle will not delete the files.
The program default is to prompt you before any file is deleted.
Specifying Default
Location of Files
Also located in the Files page of the Preferences dialog is information
about the default location for LFC files. The location set by the program
is usually sufficient, although there are some instances in which you may
choose to change the location.
The default location for the LFC files is your system LFC directory. On
systems running Microsoft Windows, this directory is in a subdirectory of
the Windows directory called \LGDATA\LFC\. On a Macintosh, the LFC
folder is in the System folder.
Many Microsoft Windows users have two or more versions of Windows
installed on their computers, including Windows 95, Windows 98, and
Windows NT. If you have installed these operating systems in different
directories, and have also installed WinRascol for each system, the LFC
directory will be different, depending on which operating system you are
running. You may need to change the FullCircle default LFC directory if
you are running FullCircle in one version of Windows, yet running a
version of WinRascol installed in a different version of Windows.
Image Detection
On the second page of the preferences dialog, you can select several
options regarding the analysis of your scanned Reference and Calibrator
images.
FullCircle Calibration - 61
Automatic Detection of
Orientation Circles
In the Detection of Orientation Circles section of this page, you may select
whether you would like the program to automatically search for the
orientation circles during image analysis, or whether you would prefer to
point them out during each iteration.
FullCircle is able to locate the orientation circles on the majority of images
without difficulty and it is rare that the user has to point out the circles.
However, for large files the process of locating these circles can be quite
time consuming and take up to several minutes. To reduce the time that
the program takes to locate the orientation circles, you may wish to
manually select the circles. The program will not attempt to find the
orientation circles at all, but will ask you to point them out. The default
behavior is for the program to automatically search for the circles.
Manual Detection Sensitivity In the second section of the Image detection page, you have the option of
setting the sensitivity used when selecting the orientation circles manually.
The default sensitivity is set to 75. If, when selecting the orientation
circles, the selection box drawn around the circle is consistently too large,
you should raise the sensitivity by five or ten. If the selection box is too
small, lower the sensitivity slowly. The sensitivity range is 0 to 100.
62 - FullCircle Calibration
Chapter 5
Advanced Reference
This chapter provides advanced information regarding the statistical and
graphical data available for the calibration. This information may be useful
or interesting to some users although understanding this information is not
critical or even necessary to complete a successful calibration. FullCircle
uses this information to provide recommendations to you about continuing
or completing a calibration.
FullCircle Calibration - 63
1 - Statistical Information
For each iteration except iteration 0, statistical data is available on the
Calibrator Candidate This information is available either from the Scan
Evaluation Complete dialog or from the main menu bar.
From the Scan evaluation dialog, press the Statistics button to view the
statistical data.
From the View menu on the main menu bar, select Statistics.
64 - FullCircle Calibration
The Statistics dialog will be shown as follows:
Numerical statistics exist for the red, green, and blue components for
several indicators. For each of these statistics, a green, yellow, or red
indicator gives a measure of acceptability for that statistic. A green
indicator signifies that the value is acceptable, yellow signifies that the
value is within limits although some improvement is recommended, and
red signifies that the value is not acceptable. The FullCircle program
determines that the calibration is successful when all indicators are green
or yellow. If there are a large number of yellow indicators, you may wish
to override the program’s decision that the calibration is complete, and
choose to continue the calibration.
To compare the current statistics with those in previous iterations, use the
Previous and Next buttons to go back and forth through the iterations.
The number of the iteration you are viewing will be displayed in the title
bar.
The following information is available for the Calibrator Candidate:
Density Range
Darkest and brightest densities detected in the
Calibrator gray sweep.
Average Deviation
A measure of the errors between the expected
density for the gray blocks and the actual
measured density for specific density range.
Balance Errors
A measure of the error in gray balance for each of
the colors in a specific density range (shadows,
midtones, and highlights).
FullCircle Calibration - 65
2 - Graphical Information
Four graphs representing the calibration information are available,
including the scanner profile curve, the density deviation curve, the LFC
curve, and the film response curve. This information is available from the
Scan Evaluation Complete dialog and from the main menu.
From the Scan Evaluation Complete dialog, press the Graphs button.
From the main menu, select the Graphs menu item from the View pulldown menu.
Toolbar Selection
66 - FullCircle Calibration
When you enter the graph viewing mode, the Graphs menu item appears
on the main menu bar and a toolbar with the same functions as the new
menu is also available.
Selecting Graphs
Use the four graph buttons to select among the four graphs available,
including the Scanner Profile curve, the Density Deviation curve, the LFC
curve, and the Film Response curve.
Use these selector buttons to reopen a closed graph window or to bring a
graph window to the front.
Selecting Curves
Each graph is broken down into three curves corresponding to the red,
green, and blue components of the graph. Use the red, green, and blue
curve buttons to turn the desired curves on and off. These buttons affect
all graphs simultaneously.
Note: The LFC graph actually shows six curves: two red, two green, and
two blue. Refer to the section on the LFC graph for more information.
Showing Symbols
For each of the graphs except the LFC graph, you can view the raw data
points in addition to the smoothed curve representing these points. To
toggle the symbols, press the Symbols button on the toolbar. This button
affects all graphs simultaneously.
Note: No symbols are display for the LFC graph. The curves follow the
raw data points exactly.
Previous & Next
Use the Previous and Next buttons to view the graphs for different
iterations. It is sometimes useful to compare the results from one iteration
FullCircle Calibration - 67
with those of the next. See the detailed information for each graph for
more information on how to compare data from previous iterations.
Done
After you have finished viewing graph data, press the Done button or
select Done from the Graph menu. These are the only ways to return to
the normal mode of operation.
Scanner Profile Curve
The scanner profile curve gives you a rough idea how your scanner
translates colors into pixel levels. It can be beneficial to view this graph
when attempting to adjust your scanner settings to see what effect the
settings have on the shape and slope of this graph.
Although the log nature of this graph makes it somewhat difficult to
interpret the pixel levels, it allows you to very quickly determine if your
scanner settings are reasonable. The shape of the scanner profile should
be a straight line on the log graph. Because the curve is extrapolated on
both the low and high ends, you may wish to turn on the raw data points
from the graph menu. If the curve bends significantly in the range of the
data points, you may wish to adjust your scanner. You also may wish to
check the range of the log pixel values by looking at the raw data points.
The range of the data points on the x axis should range from -1.5 to 0 (this
translates into pixel levels of 20 to 255). On the y axis the points should
range in density from about .2 to 2.0 or higher.
Density Deviation Curve
The density deviation curve shows very dramatically the error for the
current Calibrator Candidate. The black diagonal line represents no error.
Large deviations from this line of no error indicate that further calibration
is required. If the line for your Candidate lies directly on top of the ideal
line, your system is well calibrated.
NOTE: Even for a well calibrated system, the curve for your Calibrator
will probably not fall directly on the ideal curve in the darkest shadows
nor in the brightest highlights. This is due to the characteristics of the
photographic paper. Most papers cannot get darker than 2.5 density, nor
lighter than .07 density. Therefore, the actual curves will start to fall away
from the ideal line somewhere near these points.
68 - FullCircle Calibration
LFC Curve
The LFC curve shows the look up tables used by the film recorder. In this
graph the red, green, and blue curves are shown for two LFC’s. The solid
curve shows the LFC that will be produced if you decide to continue the
calibration. The dotted curve shows the LFC from the previous iteration.
A detailed understanding of these curves is not essential to the
understanding of the calibration, although these curves are presented so
you can visually confirm that the LFC’s are changing. If there is little
difference between the current and proposed LFC’s, it is probably not
necessary to continue calibrating, as there will not be a significant
improvement.
Because FullCircle Calibration produces many LFC’s for each project, you
may select the LFC that you wish to view in this graph. The default LFC
that is shown is the working LFC, that is, the LFC that FullCircle uses
until final LFC’s are built.
To select an alternate LFC, first select the LFC Graph window,. Then,
from the Graph pull-down menu, select the LFC Curve submenu. In this
submenu, you have a choice of the default LFC (working LFC), the shifted
(final) LFC, the PhotoCD LFC, and any added scanner or monitor LFC’s.
NOTE: No symbols (actual data points) are displayed for the LFC curves.
The data points fall directly on the curve.
Film Response Curve
The film response curve characterizes the reaction of the negative film and
photographic paper. The graph is a plot of the energy that is exposed onto
the film vs. the density achieved on the photographic paper. This curve is
a combination of the film characteristic curve and the paper characteristic
curve. This curve should not vary significantly from iteration to iteration.
The film response curve is used primarily to ensure that the developing
and print processing is not changing significantly between iterations. A
significant change in this curve indicates a problem with the calibration.
There will be slight variations near the top of the curve due to difficulties
that most scanners have detecting subtle differences in the shadows.
FullCircle Calibration - 69
Chapter 6
Printing Reference
The chapter contains information regarding printing the files produced by
FullCircle Calibration and using the LFC’s produced by FullCircle to print
your scanned originals. For more detailed information regarding printing
to your film recorder in general, refer to your WinRascol or MacRascol
User Manual.
This chapter also discusses issues related to selection of a photographic lab
to print your negatives. The requirements for the lab are discussed and a
sample instruction sheet for the lab is provided. Developing a good
relationship with a photographic lab is an essential step to ensure the
success of the calibration.
FullCircle Calibration - 71
1 - Printing the Calibrator Candidate BLL
As part of the calibration process, a new Calibrator Candidate file is
produced at the end of each FullCircle Calibration iteration. The Calibrator
Candidate is an image file that will be used to test the state of the
calibration.
The Calibrator Candidate is written to disk as a BLL (Binary
Lasergraphics Language) file in your project directory. The name of the
Calibrator Candidate is constructed by using the project name followed by
the number of the candidate.
For example, if your project is named TEST.FC, the Calibrator Candidate
produced at the end of iteration 0 will be TEST1.BLL, the Calibrator
Candidate produced at the end of iteration 1 will be TEST2.BLL, and so
on. These files would be placed in C:\Program Files\FullCircle\Test\.
To print the Calibrator Candidate, start WinRascol Print Manager and
Device Manager, or MacRascol Queue Builder. Select the feature to add
files to the queue and locate the Calibrator Candidate BLL file in your
project directory.
The BLL file contains all information needed to create the calibrator
candidate. You do not need to specify the film recorder model, the film
type, resolution, etc. in the Print Manager or Queue Builder. All settings
are contained within the BLL file and cannot be changed.
Load the camera back with the negative film type specified for this
particular project and print the Calibrator Candidate to film. Send the film
to you photo lab with the instructions (see “ Instructions for the
Photographic Lab” on p. 80).
72 - FullCircle Calibration
2 - Printing the Final Candidate BLL and Scanned
Originals
After the calibration procedure is complete, you can scan original
photographs, digitally retouch the images, and print them to your film
recorder using the new LFC’s generated by FullCircle Calibration. The
following three sections describe the steps in this process.
Scanning Your Original
Photographs
When scanning photographs to be printed using your newly calibrated
LFC, you must first ensure that the scanner settings are set exactly as they
were during the calibration process. Any deviation from these settings
will result in unpredictable results on the prints produced from this
process. After loading the correct settings on your scanner, set the scanner
resolution appropriate for the resolution of your film recorder and scan the
pictures to duplicate or retouch.
Digital Retouching
Some care must be taken when retouching the digital images that will be
printed using the FullCircle Calibration Process. Retouching procedures
such as removing a blemish and cleaning up small parts of an image will
generally work very well. Combining images into a collage will also work
quite well as long as the original images were of good quality and match
well in brightness.
Difficulty may arise when attempting to make image-wide or dramatic
changes in the image such as changing the brightness level or contrast for
the entire image. In changing levels, ensure that the high pixel values
created by the shift in levels does not exceed the maximum pixel value
obtained when scanning the Lasergraphics FullCircle Calibration Scanner
Reference. Similarly, ensure that the low pixel values do not shift
significantly below the minimum pixel value obtained when scanning the
Scanner Reference.
Additionally, when dramatic changes are made to an image, there is a
tendency to make the image look good on the monitor. Because the new
LFC is not calibrated for the monitor, but for your scanner, you are likely
to get unpredictable results.
If you are making many dramatic changes in your image, you may have
more success by using an LFC generated for your monitor than trying to
FullCircle Calibration - 73
use the scanner LFC. A monitor LFC will produce excellent results with a
well calibrated monitor that is used under the proper lighting conditions.
NOTE: Although some image analysis programs provide methods for
calibrating your monitor, to truly calibrate your monitor you need a
program that comes with a sensing device that attaches to your monitor.
After calibrating your monitor, you can use the FullCircle Calibration
program to generate an LFC that is specific to your monitor gamma, your
film recorder, resolution, negative film type, and paper. This step takes
only a few minutes if you have already completed the scanner calibration
for this project.
Printing the Final
Calibrator BLL
The Final Calibrator must be printed on every roll of film that you send to
the photographic lab when you use a FullCircle generated LFC. The
purpose of this file is to calibrate the photo lab’s printing equipment to the
same known settings that were used to generate the LFC for the project. It
is only by calibrating the printing machine to the same known state that
you can consistently and quickly generate prints that match your scanned
original photographs.
The Final Calibrator is written to disk as a BLL file in your project
directory. The name of the Final Calibrator file is the same as the project
name, but with a BLL file extension.
For example, for your TEST.FC project, the Final Calibrator will be
named TEST.BLL and will be placed in C:\Program Files\FullCircle\Test\.
To print the Final Calibrator, start WinRascol Print Manager and Device
Manager or MacRascol Queue Builder. Locate the Final Calibrator BLL
file and add it to the queue. Because the Final Calibrator file is in BLL
format, it overrides all preference settings or any settings displayed on
screen.
Load the camera back with the negative film type that was specified for
this particular project and print the Calibrator Candidate to film.
74 - FullCircle Calibration
Printing the Scanned
Originals
Print the scanned original images after you have printed the Final
Calibrator. From your WinRascol or MacRascol software, select the
proper LFC from the setup menu or preferences. Unless you altered the
LFC name, the first word in the LFC will be the project name. There may
be several LFC’s created from your project. Make sure to select the
appropriate LFC - whether for your default scanner, an added scanner, a
monitor, or PhotoCD image.
Also, in the setup, ensure that the gamma is set to 0.5 and the color
balance to 100% for red, green, and blue. Additionally, set the
background color to 50% gray.
Print the images on your film recorder and send the film to your photo lab
with the processing and printing instructions.
NOTE: The Final Calibrator must be printed for every set of film used to
print scanned originals when using a FullCircle generated LFC. Results
are unpredictable without calibration.
FullCircle Calibration - 75
3 - Printing PhotoCD Images
Print the Final Calibrator as described in the previous section. From
WinRascol, select the setup option, or from MacRascol, select Preferences.
In the LFC field, locate the LFC’s for the project corresponding to the
combination of film recorder, resolution, film, and paper. Select the LFC
for this project that includes PhotoCD in the LFC name.
Also, in the Setup or Preferences, ensure that the gamma is set to 0.5, the
color balance is 100% for red, green, and blue, and set the background
color to 50% gray.
Print the images on your film recorder and send the film to your photo lab
with the processing and printing instructions.
NOTE: The Final Calibrator must be printed for every set of film used to
print scanned originals when using a FullCircle generated LFC. Results
are unpredictable without calibration.
76 - FullCircle Calibration
4 - Printing Images from a Monitor LFC
NOTE: To print images from a monitor LFC, you must have already
completed the calibration for your project and added a monitor LFC. In
addition, the monitor should be calibrated and used under controlled
lighting conditions. Test the calibration of the monitor at regular intervals.
Print the Final Calibrator as described in section 2 of this chapter. From
WinRascol, select the Setup option, or from MacRascol, select
Preferences. In the LFC field, locate the LFC’s for the project
corresponding to the combination of film recorder, resolution, film, and
paper. Select the monitor LFC for this project.
Also in the Setup or Preferences, ensure that the gamma is set to 0.5, the
color balance is 100% for red, green, and blue, and set the background
color to 50% gray.
Print the images on your film recorder and send the film to your photo lab
with the processing & printing instructions.
NOTE: The Final Calibrator must be printed for every set of film used to
print scanned originals when using a FullCircle generated LFC. Results
are unpredictable without calibration.
FullCircle Calibration - 77
5 - Printing Images Scanned on an Added Scanner
NOTE: To print images from an alternate scanner LFC, you must have
already completed the calibration for your project and added a scanner
LFC. Ensure that you scan your images at the same settings used when
you added the scanner LFC.
Print the Final Calibrator as described in section 2 of this chapter. From
WinRascol, select the Setup option, or from MacRascol, select
Preferences. In the LFC field, locate the LFC’s for the project
corresponding to the combination of film recorder, resolution, film, and
paper. Select the new scanner LFC for this project.
Also in the Setup or Preferences, ensure that the gamma is set to 0.5, the
color balance is 100% for red, green, and blue, and set the background
color to 50% gray.
Print the images on your film recorder and send the film to your photo lab
with the processing and printing instructions.
NOTE: The Final Calibrator must be printed for every set of film used to
print scanned originals when using a FullCircle generated LFC. Results
are unpredictable without calibration.
78 - FullCircle Calibration
6 - The Photographic Lab
The photographic lab plays a critical role in the process of producing
prints that match your scanned originals. Developing a good relationship
with the lab and its technicians will make the FullCircle process
significantly easier and faster.
Before sending any material to a photographic lab, phone or visit the lab to
explain that you are attempting a calibration procedure and that your prints
must be made using fixed time printing (also called fixed beam printing or
wedding mode printing). The lab must be capable of matching the density
found on one print with a spot on a second print. Bring or fax a copy of
the FullCircle Calibration Printing Directions (below) to the lab and have
the technicians examine it and confirm that the lab can do that kind of
work before placing your order.
Most minilab equipment is capable of fixed time printing, although this
mode may not be obvious. If the lab claims that their minilab is not
capable of fixed time printing, ask them to contact the minilab
manufacturer to confirm this.
Once it has been established that your lab can perform fixed time printing,
find out what paper they use and how often they change paper batches.
Use a high contrast paper such as Kodak Ultra or Kodak Edge. This will
ensure that your reproductions will be able to reproduce both the dark and
light colors in your images. Ensure that the lab does not change paper
batches every week, as well. Slight variations in the paper emulsion cause
the paper to react in a slightly different manner between batches, which
could cause unpredictable results in your prints.
A few additional points to keep in mind when selecting and dealing with a
photo lab are:
• Use the same photographic lab for every part of the calibration and
after calibration for printing your scanned images. Although the
developing and printing procedures are very nearly identical from lab
to lab, chemicals, equipment, paper batch, and enlarger light sources
may vary. These differences may cause unpredictable results should
you change labs at any point of this process.
• Use the same paper type for every part of the calibration process and
after calibration for printing your scanned images.
FullCircle Calibration - 79
• Have the lab contact you in the event of any significant change in the
development process, including changes in the development chemicals,
the paper batch, the enlarger, or the light source in the enlarger. A
change in any of these may cause unpredictable results to your
calibrated system.
The following section provides a set of instructions you may send to your
photographic lab.
Instructions for the
Photographic Lab
To ensure that there is no confusion between you and your photo lab
regarding the printing process required, we highly recommended sending
the following written instructions that reiterate the process you have
explained verbally. These directions are available in a file from the
FullCircle directory, (PC Windows: INSTRUCT.DOC and
INSTRUCT.WRI; Apple Macintosh: INSTRUCT). You need only to fill
in specific information regarding what photographic paper to use and the
size of your prints.
A copy of this document is printed below.
80 - FullCircle Calibration
TM
Lasergraphics FullCircle Calibration Printing Directions
 1996 Lasergraphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The negatives enclosed were imaged as part of a digital photography calibration procedure developed by
Lasergraphics, Inc. They require a special printing process that must be carried out exactly as specified.
Required Equipment:
Scanner Reference print from customer
Reflective densitometer
Minilab or enlarger capable of performing fixed time printing
Procedure:
1) Measure the density of the large gray calibration circle on the Lasergraphics Scanner Reference provided by
your customer and record for future reference.
2) Use standard C41 color negative developing to process the negatives.
3) Locate the Calibrator image on the negative strip. The Calibrator is very similar in appearance to the Scanner
Reference. It contains a set of gray squares surrounded by colored circles.
4) Using this negative, make a test print and measure the density of the gray calibration circle in the print.
5) Compare the density of the calibration circle in the test print with the density of the calibration circle in the
scanner reference. Make adjustments to intensity and filters so the density of the calibration circle in the two
prints will be the same in R,G, and B to a tolerance of 0.01.
6) Repeat step 5 until the density of the calibration circle on the test print matches the density of the calibration
circle on the Scanner Reference (within 0.01).
7) Using the settings established in step 6, print the remaining images on the negative.
NOTE: Please notify the customer if you are using a different paper emulsion batch than last time. Also please
notify me if there is any other significant change in the printing process that may affect the results.
FullCircle Calibration - 81
82 - FullCircle Calibration
Chapter 7
Troubleshooting
Guide
The following chapter discusses some of the problems that you may
encounter when running FullCircle Calibration. This includes some of the
error messages and warning messages that you may encounter and also
some general issues about your calibration.
FullCircle Calibration - 83
1 - Error Messages and Warnings
In the following section, error and warning messages are listed along with
an explanation, if necessary, of the message and instructions on how to
correct the problem.
Starting the Program
You may encounter some of the following messages immediately after
starting the FullCircle Calibration program.
No system timers are available. Free FullCircle Calibration needs to allocate several system resources at startup,
system resources.
including one timer. You will get this message if there are no available
timers.
To correct this, close one or more other applications. If this does not
correct the situation, these applications may not free their system resources
even when terminated. In this case, shut down the operating system and
restart it.
Out of memory (or similar messages
regarding memory)
FullCircle Calibration is a memory intensive application. You will receive
this message if FullCircle cannot allocate the desired memory.
To correct the problem, close one or more other applications. On a
Macintosh, you may also need to adjust the memory requirements for
FullCircle from the Info dialog of the Finder.
FullCircle Calibration uses reference files in conjunction with the
No paper references are currently
installed. Would you like to install a reference print included in the package. Reference files must be installed
reference file now?
before FullCircle will accept a scan of the reference print.
Install the reference file from the FullCircle Reference File disk. You may
install the reference file by choosing Yes to this message, or you may
install the reference from References item in the View menu on the main
menu bar.
Loading a Project
Projects are used to store the information necessary to perform the
calibration of your imaging environment. You may encounter some of the
following messages either loading or creating the project files.
Could not open the most recently
FullCircle attempts to open the most recently used project immediately
84 - FullCircle Calibration
used project.
upon starting. You may encounter this message if the project file has been
moved, deleted, or is in use by another program.
Check for the existence of the project file manually using Windows
Explorer or Macintosh Finder. If the file exists, try opening the file from
the Open Project option in the File menu from the main menu bar. If this
does not work, restart the computer and try loading the project file again.
Unable to create directory.
When creating a project, FullCircle attempts to create a new directory or
subdirectory with the same name as the project. You may get this message
if you are low on disk space or have typed a path name that does not exist
into the Create Project dialog.
Check to ensure that there is indeed enough disk space to create a new
directory. Select the path for the project from the directory tree structure
in the Create Project dialog instead of entering it manually.
Error opening initial LFC
When creating a project, you specify a negative film type from which to
start the project. This actually selects an LFC file that FullCircle will
modify to customize to your hardware and photographic materials. You
will get this message if FullCircle cannot open or read this starting LFC.
From the preferences dialog (select the Preferences item from the View
menu on the main menu bar), go to the File Page and examine the LFC
directory. Ensure that your LFC’s are indeed located in this directory.
Alternately, restart the computer and start another project with the same
settings and film type.
Error reading Log file
FullCircle Calibration creates a log file that records significant actions
taken during the calibration process. A separate log is kept for each
project and stored in the project directory. You will get this message if
FullCircle cannot read or open the log file for this project.
Using a Windows Explorer or Macintosh Finder, ensure that this file does
indeed exist. The log file will be located in the project directory and has a
.LOG extension. Also ensure that the log file is not in use by any other
program.
Error creating Log file
You may get this message under two circumstances. If you are creating
the project and FullCircle cannot create the log file, or if you are opening
an existing project and there was an error opening the log file, FullCircle
will attempt to create a new file, and this operation has failed.
Make sure that you have enough disk space to open a new file. Check to
ensure that the current log file is not in use by another program.
FullCircle Calibration - 85
Incompatible project file
Incompatible project file header
Error reading project file
86 - FullCircle Calibration
If your project file has been corrupted, you will get one of these messages.
In this event, you must reconstruct the project. Contact Lasergraphics for
details on this procedure.
Scanner Messages
After adjusting your scanner and scanning the FullCircle Calibration
Scanner Reference, you may encounter some of the messages listed below
if the scanner settings are not ideal. The messages are intended as
guidelines only. You may ignore the majority of messages if you desire,
although they usually indicate a real problem with the current scanner
settings.
FullCircle Calibration attempts to warn you when it detects conditions in
your scan image that may not give you the best results in your calibration.
One common problem with default scanner settings is that the scanner
does not map your black regions to low pixel levels. This may be because
or
the scanner can detect much darker levels and has reserved the lower
Error finding dark point in histogram. pixels. The reference print contains dark regions with a density of
approximately 2.5. This is sufficiently dark for most images.
The darkest regions of your scan are
above 20.
Adjust your scanner settings so the darkest regions of the scanned
FullCircle Scanner reference have pixel levels below 20.
or
As in the above condition, your scanner has not mapped very white
regions to high pixel levels. The density of the whitest regions on the
FullCircle Scanner Reference is approximately 0.16 to 0.18. This is
sufficiently bright for most photographic paper.
Error finding white point in
histogram.
Adjust your scanner settings so the brightest region of the scanned
FullCircle Scanner Reference has pixel levels above 230.
The pixel levels of the gray circle in
the reference image should be in the
range of 205 to 230.
In addition to achieving a reasonable range of pixel levels, the contrast
needs to be set correctly. Contrast, or gamma, is the shift from dark to
bright in your scan. The contrast can be uniform, that is, the change from
dark to bright is gradual and continuous, or the change from dark to bright
can change quickly in some regions and slowly in others. The gray boxes
on the FullCircle Scanner reference are printed with a uniform contrast.
View the scan image to ensure that it appears similar in contrast to the
reference print. This message is a possible tip off that the contrast needs to
be adjusted.
The brightest regions of your scan
have pixels levels below 230.
Adjust the scanner contrast from the scanner settings to ensure that the
pixel levels of the gray circle in the FullCircle Calibration Scanner
Reference are in the range of 205 to 230.
The resolution of the scan is too low. In the Scanner reference, we recommend scanning at 300 DPI. This
Rescan the image at a higher
resolution is usually sufficient to ensure that FullCircle has enough data
resolution.
from which to gather accurate information about your reference and
FullCircle Calibration - 87
calibrator prints. At times, you may be asked to scan at higher resolution.
Scan the print again at a higher resolution. If you scan at 400 DPI, this
should be sufficient for FullCircle.
Could not find the reference file for
the reference scanned.
For each reference print, there exists a distinct reference file. This file
must be installed in the REF subdirectory of your FullCircle directory.
You may get this message if you have not installed the appropriate
reference file, or if there is a problem with the scanner settings, FullCircle
may not be able to properly decode the reference number from the
reference print. To ensure that this is not the case, compare the reference
number reported by the program with the reference number printed on the
reference print. If they are not the same, there is an error decoding the
reference number caused by scanner settings that should be adjusted or by
poor selection of the orientation circles on the reference scan.
Install the appropriate reference file if the reference number reported
corresponds to the number on the reference print. Otherwise, ensure that
your scanner settings are correct and check that FullCircle selects the
orientation circles properly.
Reference is out of date, contact
Lasergraphics for a new target.
Because prints fade over time and the reference prints need to be accurate,
the reference prints expire after several months. If you get this message,
check the expiration date on the reference print to ensure that the
expiration date has indeed passed.
Call Lasergraphics for a new reference. You will receive a new reference
print and an installation disk to install the new reference file.
FullCircle cannot find the orientation During the process of evaluating the reference image, the FullCircle
circles ...
program must find the cyan, magenta, and yellow circles on the reference
print. This gives the program a point of reference through which it can
locate all the gray boxes in the image. If the scanner settings that were
used to create the scan file are unusual settings or are not optimal settings,
FullCircle may not be able to locate the orientation circles. Although the
program will ask you to point out the circles and you may continue with
the calibration, you should take this as a notification that there may be a
problem with your scanner settings and you should consider adjusting
them to more optimal settings.
Ensure that your scanner settings are as you desire. This message is a
warning that your scanner settings should be adjusted. If you wish to
continue, use the mouse to point out each of the orientation circles as
prompted.
88 - FullCircle Calibration
Photoshop 2.0 not supported.
Photoshop 2.0 files (PSD extension) are not supported in FullCircle 1.0.
Save the image in another file format. FullCircle does require 24 bit per
pixel RGB scans (usually the default). FullCircle also can process TIFF
images faster than PSD files.
Indexed color not supported, rescan
the image using 24 bit RGB.
Indexed color is not currently supported in FullCircle Calibration.
Save the image as 24 bit per pixel RGB mode.
FullCircle requires scan images to
use 24 bit per pixel RGB mode.
Rescan the image using 24 bit RGB.
The only color mode that FullCircle currently supports is 24 bit per pixel
RGB mode. This is the most common mode, and most image editing
software defaults to this format.
Save the image as 24 bit per pixel RGB mode.
FullCircle Calibration - 89
Scanning the
Calibrator
More difficulties may arise when you scan your first Calibrator Candidate,
especially the first time you use the program and the first time your
photographic lab performs the calibration process on the minilab. You
may encounter the following messages when scanning the calibrator.
The density of the gray calibration
circle does not match the Scanner
Reference.
In order to complete the calibration process, there must be consistency
between iterations. This includes consistency in your scanner settings,
consistency with the photographic materials, and consistency with the
photo processing and printing. By demanding that the photo lab calibrate
its minilab system so that the density of the gray circle matches the density
on the Scanner Reference, you are guaranteed that the print processing is
consistent. If you get this message and you want to verify that the gray
circle does not match the gray circle in the Scanner Reference, you may
approach it in several ways. If you have a densitometer, check the density
of the gray circles on both the Calibrator print and the Scanner reference.
If you do not have one, take the print to your photo lab and ask them to
check the density of both prints. Alternately, you can look at the scan of
the two prints that you made and perform a histogram of each gray circle
to compare the mean pixel level in each of R,G, and B. If the pixel levels
differ by more than several levels, either the densities of the two circles are
different, or your scanner is reading different pixel levels for the same
density.
Using a densitometer, check the density of the calibration circle on both
the Calibrator and the Reference Print. If the densities are different, ask
your photo lab to reprint the calibrator. If the densities are the same, use
an image editing tool to view histograms of the calibration circles in the
Calibrator and Reference. If the pixel levels are different, yet the
densitometer indicates that they have the same density, you may have a
problem with your scanner.
The incorrect calibrator has been
scanned.
Encoded on each calibrator print is a ID code to distinguish it from other
calibrators. This code is interpreted by the FullCircle program and used to
check if you have scanned the correct print for the iteration you are
performing. You will get this message if you have scanned the incorrect
calibrator.
Ensure that you have scanned the correct calibrator for the iteration you
are performing. If you are performing iteration 2, you should be scanning
Calibrator Candidate 2.
Error in FullCircle Calibration
Process.
90 - FullCircle Calibration
This is a general error message encompassing any unknown or complex
errors in the calibration process. If you get such a message, shut down
FullCircle and restart your computer and attempt to repeat the iteration. If
you again get this message, print out the log file and call Lasergraphics.
Making LFC’s
After the calibration is complete, you are prompted to make LFC’s. LFC’s
are created by default for your scanner and for PhotoCD images. You
may also create an LFC for a calibrated monitor and for additional
scanners without going through a new calibration. You may encounter the
following messages while making LFC’s.
Cannot make a new LFC until
iteration one has been completed.
When you start a calibration project, you specify a film type from the
setup dialog. In this process, you are actually specifying an LFC to
modify into a custom LFC for your imaging environment. This LFC is not
changed until after iteration one, so you cannot make a new LFC until
there are changes.
Complete the calibration process before attempting to make LFC’s.
Error backing up project file.
Before adding or removing a monitor or scanner LFC, FullCircle attempts
to back up the project file in the event that something goes wrong during
the operation. In the event that FullCircle cannot back up the project file,
you may proceed with the operation at your own risk. To ensure the
integrity of the project file, it would be wise to manually back up the
project file yourself if you get this message.
If you choose not to proceed, attempt to find out why the backup could not
be performed (e.g. low disk space). If you choose to proceed despite not
being able to back up the project, manually back up the project by making
a copy of the project file.
Unrecoverable project file error.
Terminate the program and attempt
to reload the project.
When an error occurs in the process of adding or removing a monitor or
scanner LFC, FullCircle attempts to restore the project to its former state
by using the backup project file discussed above. If there is an error
recovering the backup, you will get this message.
Close FullCircle and restart your computer. Run FullCircle and attempt to
open the project again. If there is an error loading the project, use
Windows Explorer or Macintosh Finder to view the files in the project
directory. Look for files with an FC extension (these are the project files).
If the file TEMP.FC exists, try loading this project file instead of the
normal project. TEMP.FC is the backup file that was created.
Error adding scanner.
Error adding monitor.
Error removing monitor.
From the LFC Manager dialog, you may add and delete monitor and
scanner LFC’s. If you encounter an error in these processes, you will get
one of these messages. In addition, when adding scanner LFC’s you must
FullCircle Calibration - 91
Error removing scanner.
provide a scan of the FullCircle Calibration Scanner Reference. You may
encounter any of the messages in the Scanner Messages listed above.
Contact Lasergraphics regarding your specific situation.
Cannot remove default scanner.
Cannot remove PhotoCD LFC.
The default scanner LFC and the PhotoCD LFC cannot be removed from
the list of LFC’s to build.
Too many LFC files exist for this
You are limited to 46 LFC’s for a project. If you wish to create additional
project. Remove one or more before LFC’s, remove one or more LFC’s before attempting to add another.
attempting to create another LFC.
92 - FullCircle Calibration
2 - General Calibration Problems
In addition to getting warning or error messages in the FullCircle program,
certain situations may arise that are unusual. The following sections cover
some of these situations that our customers have experienced.
Calibration not
complete after five
iterations
From extensive testing performed at Lasergraphics, we have found that the
calibration process generally takes three or four iterations through the
FullCircle process. Each iteration represents a correction of the original
LFC.
If your calibration is not complete, or close to complete, after three or four
iterations, there is reason to suspect that there may be an error in the steps
that you or your photographic lab are taking in the calibration. Use the
following list to ensure that you are performing the calibration correctly.
• Use the same scanner and scanner settings during each step of the
calibration.
• Use the same reference for each step of the calibration.
• Do not alter the scan image of the Calibrator Candidate with an image
editing tool.
• Use the same negative film in the same film recorder with the same
camera back.
• Use the same photographic lab for every step.
• Use the same paper type from the same paper batch.
• Use the same paper size with the same finish (glossy, lustre, etc.) for
every step.
• Ensure that the density of the gray circle on the Calibrator Candidate is
within tolerance.
Contact Lasergraphics technical support if you have followed these steps
yet your calibration is not complete after many iterations.
FullCircle Calibration - 93
Calibration degrades
between iterations.
If your calibration has been proceeding normally with corrections going in
the proper direction, and then prints come back that both look very
different and the program indicates that the calibration has gotten worse,
the most likely cause is that the photographic lab has made some
significant change.
Customers have reported that the photographic lab will change paper types
without informing them, or that the photo lab changed paper batches.
Such changes will throw off the calibration process as each paper type
reacts differently. This problem is amplified when using fixed time
printing.
Make sure that your photo lab uses the same type of paper for each step of
the calibration, and informs you when it changes paper batches. It would
be wise to find out how often a lab changes paper batches. If it is more
than four to six times per year, you may want to look for another lab.
94 - FullCircle Calibration
Glossary
Binary Lasergraphics Language (BLL) A language capable of compactly storing image data including rasters
and vector graphics. This is the language used to create the calibrators for FullCircle Calibration. Add BLL files
directly to the WinRascol or MacRascol queue.
bitmap A type of graphic composed of a rectangular group of colored dots. Bitmaps have jagged edges when
output at high-resolution.
BLL An abbreviation for Binary Lasergraphics Language.
calibrator print The print made from the calibrator BLL file. The Calibrator Candidate prints are used during
FullCircle calibration to determine if further calibration is necessary. The Final Calibrator prints are used after the
calibration is complete whenever you wish to print scanned originals. The Calibrator is used by the photographic
lab to calibrate its minilab or enlarger to the correct setting for fixed time printing.
contrast Measures the range of shades between light and dark. Images that are too high contrast have little
detail in the dark and bright regions - they appear blown out in the bright regions. Images that are too low
contrast appear dull - the blacks are gray and the whites are not very bright.
density A measure of the lightness or darkness of a point on a print, negative, or slide. Density is measured on a
log scale, 0 being white. Most photographic paper is capable of achieving a density range of .15 to 2.5 or higher.
DPM Digital Photography Model. An LFR model that is customized for digital photography.
iteration A count of the number of calibration attempts that have been made in a FullCircle Calibration, this
number also corresponds to the number of Calibrator Candidates that have been printed for a FullCircle project.
The calibration process starts in iteration zero because no correction attempts have yet been made. In iteration
one, one calibration attempt has been made corresponding the Calibrator Candidate print one.
Lasergraphics Film Calibration (LFC) file A file that provides calibration data of a film type for a specific
film recorder model. FullCircle Calibration makes customized LFC files to match you imaging environment.
Select the LFC file to use with a particular image from the WinRascol Setup menu or from MacRascol Queue
Builder’s preferences.
LFC file See Lasergraphics Film Calibration file.
LFR Lasergraphics Film Recorder. Refers to a family of film recorders including the LFR, LFR PLUS,
Personal LFR, Personal LFR PLUS, LFR-X, LFR Mark II, LFR Mark III, and the Digital Photography Models.
FullCircle Calibration - 95
pixel short for picture element. A pixel is a single dot on your monitor or output device.
project An organizational structure for a FullCircle Calibration. The project consists of a group of files
representing the data needed to complete a calibration attempt. Each project is specific for a calibration for a
given film recorder, resolution, paper type, film type, and scanner. The project files are all grouped together in a
project directory of the same name as the project.
raster See bitmap.
rasterization A time- and memory- consuming process for converting graphics objects into rasters for output.
reference file A file used by FullCircle Calibration in conjunction with the FullCircle Calibration Scanner
Reference. Each Scanner reference print has associated with it a specific reference file. This file must be
installed before attempting to use the reference print
reference print (FullCircle Calibration Scanner Reference) The reference print is used during the FullCircle
Calibration process to develop a profile for your scanner and as a point of reference to analyze the Calibrator
Candidate prints. Each reference print is identified by a reference number.
resolution The total number of dots in an image. Film recorder resolutions measured in lines represent the
number of dots across the image. Standard resolutions for film recorders are 2000, 4000, 8000, and 16000 lines
(2k, 4k, 8k, or 16k).
96 - FullCircle Calibration
FullCircle Calibration - 97